Riding through the township in a small Honda which was so low to the ground that the bumps on the road scratched the bottom of the car as the nursing team rode along the dirt roads with Hillary and Kristin along for the ride. Children in faded, unwashed clothes played in front of their homes in the dirt patches that substitute for front yards in this township. We are looking for a home with the address of 126. This is the address that the man wrote down at the ThembaCare facility where he was treated [how long ago] for HIV.
It is hard to find his address. Looking carefully at the chalk marks on the side of the houses we see in blue the number "120" scribbled on one then the number "134" drawn onto another. Finally, in pink marks we see the number 126. The care giver gets out of the car to deliver the medicines.
The nurse knocks on the door to the small home built from sheets of cardboard and tin. A woman answers the door. it is the wrong address. it is a common mistake. Addresses change often in these shanty towns. These homes are so flimsy that they catch on fire easily. It could be caused by a cooking fire or a heater. Once one home catches flame the fire quickly spreads to other homes nearby. This can change the address system.
The nurse said, "I hope that we find this guy. If we don't find him today, he will be dying in his home."
This is a hard job. You can't help everyone who needs it. There is just so much that needs to be done. She went on to explain how she lost her first patient who, knowing that he needed to take his medicine with food, would eat dirt because he had no food. just so he could have something in his stomach. When, he was found dead his organs were stuffed with dirt.
They look for 126 in the six other townships that they visit that day.
They never find the man. They have to move on.
There are more people who need their medicine today.
The above story was told to me by a young lady who went on a missions trip to South Africa with me. One out of every four adults in South Africa is infected with HIV.
